Process for the manufacture of upholstering material



Patented July 30, 1940 other PnocEss Fon THE mumc'runn or grnoas'manvc MATERIAL Conrad Hermann, Wirppertal-Elberfeld, Ger many, assignor to North American Rayon Corporation, New York, Delaware N. Y., a corporation of No Drawing. Application November 5, 1937, Serial No. 173,043, In Germany November 5,

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- Claims. (01. 154-2) The present invention relates to the manufacture of material. of artificial origin but more specifically has for its purpose to devise a process for the manufacture or material suitable Ior use 5 in upholstering.

Films, particularly those oLceIIuloSic origin,.

are cut into fine ribbons of approximately the thickness of horse hair. However, this ribbon- L like horse hair cut from an ordinary cellulose film is not suitable for upholstering and filling-pur-.

poses, since there is no crimping orliullness in the material. It is of course possible to subject the ribbons thus produced to well known crimping processes, for example, as carried out with re-- spect to horse hair and similar animal hair as well as other upholstering material. However, it has been foundthat the crimping effect, particularly with ribbons, is not suflicienty lasting in effect. a

It is therefore one of .the objects of the present invention to produce a sufilciently durable crimping of the cellulose ribbons for upholstering material. This and other objects will in part become obvious and in part be pointed out in the following specification and appended claims.

The invention is based upon the well known fact that if two difier'ently shrinking cellulose films are glued together, the combined product, after remoistening or steaming, has a tendency to shrink easily whereby the cellulose film having a higher shrinkage capability forms the. inner layer while that having a lower shrinkage capacity forms the outer layer of the combined product. This novel process utilizes this generally'known as fact and combination by means .of gluing two diilerent cellulose films which possess difierent shrinkage capabilities. In carrying out this process a cellulose .film' which has been greatly stretched during its manufacture is combined 40 with the cellulose film which has been produced with a less amount of longitudinal stretch.

A further step in the process may consist in the use of a film, spun, for example, from a viscose solution, then washed and after-treated but not dried, and that this film is then combined with another cellulose film which is either produced from, the same solution or any other cellulose solution but which has already beendried. It is also possible to produce a combined product in such a manner thata film made from a' viscose or cuprammonium solution is combined inithe usual manner by any suitable means with another film-like product, such as, for example, an acetate film, or a sheet of kraft brown paper.

The best results, however, are obtained in all instances if films of different thickness are com-e blned with each other. I gl'he gluing of the cellulose films may be carried out in any suitable manner whereby the adhesion power of the films which have been swelled up 5 to a high degree and the simultaneous, use of pressure by means of pressing rollers and heat may be utilized. This step in the process may be carried out by using heated press rollers so that the pressure and heat are obviously applied simul-' taneously. It is further possible to use special gluing mediums, such as viscose-solutions or-cuprammonium solutions, also other gluing agents, for example, of animal nature, 'such as casein preparations.

The glued films are then suitably dried, pref erably in a continuous operation.

In accordance with one form of the invention, the combined films thus produced can be then cut into smallribbons in a longitudinal direction. 20 I One method of cutting the films into ribbons may be accomplished by rolling the combined films into a tight roll and then cutting into ribv bons cross-wise, with respect to the axis of the roll. ,Whichever method oi cutting '3 used, the ribbons may be subjected to a swelling after-' treatment, for example, with water or steam, in order to release'the diflferent shrinkage capabilities of the individual portions of the ribbons and to allow the spiral-like crimping action to take place, whereupon the ribbons are dried and hardened.

I In order to produce a material which greatly resembles upholstering materials of natural fibers and their useful properties, thefinished rib- ,bons may be impregnated with substances which increase the water repelling characteristics or the finished material, making the said material more impenetrable by water. This impregnation may also be. carried out in connection with the shrinkage and/or swelling process, or in connection with the gluing of theelementary films. Substances suitable forthis purpose are those usually employed in the water-proofing oi cellu- 'lose films, ior example, ester lacquers, nitrocellu 45 lose, paraflin, mineral waxes and their finishing products, resins of all kinds, metal soaps, etc.

- If impregnating agents are used which prevent,

to a great degree, the swellingand shrinking of the film parts, it is advisable to carry out the 50 impregnation of the upholstering material only alter the spiral formation has taken place in the shrinking process through the after-swelling.

It is obvious that many variations-may be madein the process described herein while utilizing the 55 invention of the present application and it is not intended to restrict the invention to the particular descriptions or examples'given herein. The

terms used in describing the invention have beenused in their descriptive sense and not in terms of limitation, and it is intended that all equivalents thereof be included within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a process for the manufacture of spirallike upholstering material of cellulose films, the steps comprising combining a plurality of films having different shrinkage capabilities whereby a single composite laminated film is formed, dividing the thus formed film into ribbons, subjecting the ribbons thus formed to a wetting step, and then subsequently drying the ribbons. 2. In a process for the inanuiacture of spirallike crimped material from cellulose films, the steps comprising combining a plurality of cellulose films having difierent shrinkage capabilities whereby a sin'glelaminated film is produced, rolling the laminated film into a roll, cutting the rolls perpendicular to the axis of the said rolls, whereby ribbons are produced; wetting the said ribbons,

and thereafter drying the ribbons.

3. In a process of the class set-forth, the steps of combining-a dry cellulose film with an undried cellulose film to form a single laminated film, cutting said laminated film into fine ribbons, causing said ribbons to shrink by means of moistening or steaming, impregnating said ribbons, and then 5. In a process or the class set'forth, the steps of combining a viscose cellulose film with a cuprammonium cellulose film to form a laminated film, cutting said film into fine ribbons, causing said ribbons to shrink by wetting and then drying the ribbons.

, CONRAD HERRMANN. 

